Tempest
by ArcanineOod
Summary: May's trapped in a terrible storm, and Harley's the only one who can do anything about it. That's a rubbish summary. Please give it a try!


**A/N: Thanks to the three people who've reviewed this so far! Your nice comments keep me going! =)**

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A howl echoed through the dark forest. The harsh wind whipped the trees, causing the branches to sway and creak under the enormous pressure. The rain poured fiercely, not in a steady stream, but in powerful lashes.

The dead, brown leaves cut through the air, carried by the strong gusts of wind. Like a graceful Beautifly, they rose and fell, all the while tossing and turning as though they were caught in a tropical storm.  
Indeed, this was no tropical storm, but for the pokemon of the forest, it was unlike anything they had experienced before.  
The cold, chafing wind, which whistled eerily as it pierced the many nooks and crannies where bird and bug type alike made their homes. The sheets of water, so unusual for this part of the country, which soaked all they touched within mere moments of contact. The almighty noise! The crashing of the thunder, the roaring of the wind, the cries of the forest pokemon as their home was subjected to a torment of unparalleled majesty.

Through this carnage a girl ran, ran as fast as her thin legs could carry her. Her bright bandana, saturated by the endless torrent of water, was close to slipping off her soaking brown hair. Her red outfit clung to her shivering body, and the pokeballs in her bag bounced around as they were jolted by the constant movement. Unbeknownst to her, one of them fell out of the hole created when the zip had opened due to the constant battering. It fell to the forest floor and rolled to a stop amongst the sodden leaves.

Barely audible above the violent storm, she girl yelled for her friends. Exhausted by the effort of running so far so fast, the girl stopped, putting her hands on her knees as she took deep breaths.

"Ash?!" She called out in vain. "Max?! Brock?!" She put a damp gloved hand to her head as she whined "Where are you, guys?"

She leant against a nearby tree.  
"Let's see. We were in this forest, making our way to Saffron City, when this horrid storm started. We all started running, but they all disappeared. I hope Max is alright... But I have no idea what to do! I have no idea where I am!"

Suddenly a solution clicked, and she reached for her pokedex. Bending over it to try and keep the rain off it, she opened it. She quickly located the option to send out a distress signal. Only to be used in dire emergencies, it would send out a homing signal to the nearest pokemon centre, which would then contact the authorities, causing a search to begin for the trainer in question.  
It spoke clearly:  
"May Maple, from Petalburg City, do you wish to send out a distress signal? This feature is only to be used in severe emergencies."

May considered for a moment whether it was really an emergency. She stopped leaning on the tree, and paced nearby for a bit.  
She had been lost in the woods before. The storm might end as quickly as it begun. Chances were she was probably closer to the edge of the forest than she realised, and it would be embarrassing to call the emergency services out only to find she wasn't in any real danger!  
However, it was getting dark, and-  
May screamed as a bolt of lightning hit the tree she had been leaning on, causing one of the large branches to catch fire and fall in the place she had been leaning moments before. She quickly pushed the button on her pokedex to confirm the distress signal before reaching for Squirtle's pokeball. She quickly released the tiny turtle pokemon, and the young Squirtle quivered as it saw the huge blaze.  
"Squirtle, we've got to put out that fire! Use water gun!"  
The pokemon obliged, but it couldn't summon enough power to douse the quickly escalating flames, and although the rain was still pelting, the fire continued to spread.  
"Squirtle, return!"

May fled from the fire, aware that the volume of trees in the forest could mean disaster for the pokemon in the surrounding area, and her if she didn't get out of there!

- -

The pokemon centre was packed with people sheltering from the storm, and Nurse Joy was rushed off her feet ferrying pokemon into care. So rushed off her feet, in fact, that she didn't hear the distress signal reach her computer.  
However, someone did. A certain violet haired someone, who happened to May's enemy and rival coordinator, Harley Davidson. He was doing volunteer work at the pokemon centre.  
Harley quickly sat down in front of the screen and opened the emergency file. When a picture of May appeared, flashing red and shown as being located in the nearby forest, Harley's eyes narrowed.  
"Hmmph. Trust May to accidentally send out a distress signal. Especially at such a busy time!"  
He closed the file.

"Harley, is everything okay?" Nurse Joy asked as she was hurrying past.  
"Oh, everything's just fine, Nurse Joy! I was just checking something."

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**A/N: Oh, Harley, Harley, Harley...  
Please review!  
I tried to make the storm as dramatic as possible... Did I use too much description? Not enough?  
Please let me know what you thought of it!**

**In other news, my Big/Rouge story probably won't be finished by Christmas.  
My CookieShipping Christmas special **_**is**_** finished though! I can't wait to upload it on Christmas Day! =D**


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